Wishing You Happiness!

Okay, so probably most of you would figure this summery card is out of season. Except, of course, for those of us in the sunbelt. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm sick of nice weather! {LOL} Okay, even I can't complain about the beauty of today's weather... clear skies, sunny, no smog, 70-something degrees with a light breeze. But there is no change of season this year in So Cal. It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when you can wear shorts outside! I am honestly living in the wrong climate.

This card is for one of my BFF's, Maryann, who is lucky enough to not only live at the beach, but directly across the street from it, with a full on view of the ocean. I am lucky to be her friend, and not just because I get to sit on her deck and enjoy that awesome view (although that is definitely a perk!). Maryann and I have been friends for, gosh, I think about 15 years... ever since our sons Collin and Michael became friends in preschool. She is an inspiration to me in many ways, but most especially as a mother and a wife, and has had a tremendous influence on my spiritual life. I have definitely been blessed by her friendship. Not to mention we have a heck of a lot of fun when we get together!

My inspiration for the design of this card was a card made by Nichole Heady (one of my stamping heros). Plus, of course, I used some of the awesome Men of Life paper shown at the link. The stamps are By the Seashore from My Favorite Things. I colored with my Copic markers.

We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with my mother-in-law and just returned yesterday on my birthday. The celebration started on November 20th and will continue with more lunches and dinners out with friends this next week. I decided to call it Lisakkah (like Hanukkah), only Lisakkah lasts more than 8 days. {LOL}

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to Christmas. I decided that the economic slowdown, with cutbacks in spending, is an excellent reason to put Christ back in Christmas and enjoy the holidays for the comfort and joy of spending time with family and friends. Plus, when you can't spend as much money, it makes you think more carefully about the gifts you do buy. All in all, I think this is going to be a particularly blessed holiday for us. I hope it will be for you, too!

Thanks for stopping by.